Treasury yields start the week lower with Fed meeting minutes in focus

U.S. Treasury yields fell on Monday morning, with investor focus on minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting, due to be published on Wednesday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 3 basis points to 1.263% at 3:55 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond gave up nearly 3 basis points, falling to 1.921%. … Treasury yields fell sharply on Friday, after data showed U.S. consumer confidence fell in August to its lowest point since 2011. Investors’ focus this week will likely be on the Fed’s latest meeting minutes, as they search for any clues as to when the central bank might start paring back its asset purchases.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T06:39:27-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Kansas plays catch up on pension funding with $500 million bond sale

Kansas is taking advantage of continued low interest rates with a $502.6 million taxable deal to pump money into its underfunded state retirement system. The pension obligation bonds on Tuesday’s calendar are coming through the Kansas Development Finance Authority with Citigroup as book runner. The bonds are rated Aa3 by Moody’s Investors Service and A-plus by S&P Global Ratings. Outlooks are stable. “The stable outlook reflects an expectation that Kansas has the capacity to generate the resources necessary to sustain structural balance in a period of economic stability or to withstand a moderate shock to revenue in a period of economic weakness,” said Moody’s analyst Matthew Butler. Because debt service is subject to appropriations by the Kansas Legislature, the POBs are rated a notch lower than the state’s issuer ratings.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:29:57-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Spring Hill water treatment plant officially opens

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Aug. 5 for the Hillsdale Water Treatment Plant at 22705 Moonlight Rd., Spring Hill, Kan. The ceremony marked the completion of an expansion and provides the treatment of water from four million gallons of water per day to seven million. The expansion was necessary due to the city’s growth and population increase.
Source: Gardner News

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T06:41:12-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Great Bend OKs three sales tax questions

There will be three separate City of Great Bend sales tax questions on the Nov. 2 general election ballot following action by the City Council Monday night. These would help fund quality of life improvements, pay off the city’s debt incurred for a new police station and cover the cost of changes to the benefit package for the Police and Fire departments. The council at its Aug. 2 work session reached a consensus on the questions, said City Administrator Kendal Francis said.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T06:41:46-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Rural Business Development funds announced

U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. and Jerry Moran announced a $96,575 USDA Rural Business Development grant that will be used to increase training and education programs availability in 27 counties. The counties benefitting from this USDA Rural Business Development grant include: Finney, Edwards, Pawnee, Wichita, Stevens, Barber, Clark, Pratt, Hamilton, Ford, Comanche, Greeley, Barton, Ness, Grant, Seward, Stanton, Scott, Haskell, Kearny, Hodgeman, Meade, Lane, Morton, Kiowa, Rush and Stafford. “This USDA grant will help many small business owners succeed in rural Kansas through further investment in education and training,” said Marshall. “Small businesses are the backbone of this nation, and providing entrepreneurs with the training and resources they need empowers rural Kansas to thrive for years to come.”
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T06:42:05-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Strong wind, large hail cause severe damage in central Kansas

Strong winds and large hail caused severe damage in Rice and Ellsworth counties Sunday evening. The storm started around 5:30 p.m., south of Ellsworth and continued for about 30 miles. The National Weather Service of Wichita estimates that winds levels peaked at 110 mph. Several train cars were blown off the tracks west of Geneseo. Also noted were two areas of snapped power lines in Rice County. The storm also damaged buildings, cars and fields with hail reportedly the size of baseballs.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:21:45-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Kansas firefighter electrocuted while searching for crash victims

A southwest Kansas firefighter has died after he was shocked by a power line while searching for the victims of a crash. Morton county deputies and emergency crews responded just before 6 p.m. Sunday to a rollover accident south of Rolla. A deputy and a firefighter arrived on scene minutes later. “In the process of searching for victims of the rollover, the first responding firefighter received an electrical shock from damaged power lines,” emergency management said on Facebook. Other responders began CPR, and the firefighter was taken to the county hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released. Emergency management has not provided any additional information about the crash.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:19:50-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

Amazon Fulfillment Center is up and running in Park City

The 1-million-square-foot Amazon center was buzzing with workers Sunday. Park City residents say they may go apply for a job. “It’s a big building. It’s kind of overwhelming when you look at it,” said Park City resident, Robert. “It’s definitely something I’ll look into.” Local businesses in the area welcome the new Amazon center, and the people it will bring to the area. “People stop in here before they go home,” said Gabriel Biesiada with Park City Discount Liquor, about a mile from the Amazon complex. “We will pick up business from that because you know that’s a main street right there at Broadway that we’ll get a lot of traffic from.” Residents in the area watched the progress on the large complex off Broadway.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:15:19-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner

The state of Kansas is working to make its communities a whole lot cleaner. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced the recipients of it’s solid waste reduction grants. $450,000 will be distributed to 24 entities across the state and help incorporate recycling, waste minimization, public education and create environmentally friendly habits. The city of Columbus hopes to use roughly $5,000 of the grant to help keep their city parks clean. Jake Letner, Columbus Community Development Coordinator, says, “We don’t really have many opportunities in our parks to recycle so we hope that by implementing these new recycling and waste bins it will improve the look of our parks and promote recycling and sustainability in our community.”
Source: KSNF/KODE

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:13:18-05:00August 17, 2021|News|

City commission to discuss half-cent sales tax question

Parsons city commissioners Monday will look at adding a question to the November ballot on continuing the city’s half-cent sales tax. Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the Municipal Building in the city commission meeting room. City officials will broadcast the meeting online at livestream.com/ParsonsKansas. People also can watch on Sparklight channel 58. The sales tax, if approved by voters, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, and last for five years.
Source: Parsons Sun

Ranson Financial2021-08-17T01:12:02-05:00August 17, 2021|News|